Storage-battery clip



Dec. 19, 1922. 1,439,457.

H. E. WALKER.

STORAGE BATTERY CLIP.

FILED MAY 10, 1921.

jweiz of Patented Dec. 19, 1922.

' UNI STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HERBERT. E. WALKER, or CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

STORAGE-BATTERY CLIP.

Application filed May 10,

' tery Clips; and-I do hereby declare that the part of this specification.

following is a full,'clear, and exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the characters of reference marked thereon, which form :a

This invention relates to improvements in battery clips of that general type shown in my prior application for U. S. Letters Patent, Serial No. 359,578, filed February 18, 1920, and refers more specifically "to the construction of the block or head to which is attached the members of the clip that carry the jaws, and to means for forming on the block the terminal member by which the supply conductor is connected to the clip.

One of the objects of the invention is to simplify the manufacture of the block to which the jaw members are attached, to re-' duce the cost of assembling the elements ofthe clip, to reduce the amount of metal required to form the'block, and to improve the appearance of the clip.

A further object of the invention is to produce a block for connecting together the jaw members, that is formed of open work construction to permit. a free flow of' air through and about the members of the block so as to air cool the block and the adjacent ends of the jaw members and thereby prevent the same becoming unduly heated.

The invention consists in the arrangement and combination of the elements shown in the drawings and described in the specification, and is pointed out in the appended claims. I

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a plan view of a storage battery clip provided with a block embodying v my invention.

Figure 2' is a perspective view of said block.

As shown in the drawings, 10, 1O designate jaw members of the clip which are formed at their forward ends to provide jaws 11 for grasping the element of a storage battery to which the clip is attached, and are made plain at their rear ends, and 12 designates the block to which the, rear plain ends of the jaw members are attached,

1921. Serial No. 468,463.

and'which is shaped to form fuicrums about which the jaw members are caused to be flexed between their front ends and the portions of the jaw members which are attached to said block. The construction of the vjaws constitute in themselves no part of the present improvements, said improvements lying in the construction of the block by which to join the jaw members together, and the construction of the terminal at said block through which'the source of current supply is connected with the clip.

The said block and terminal are made of a single piece of sheet metal suitably formed and swaged to give a general wedge shape to rearwardly beyond the converging ends of the block members to constitute a terminal member;

Referring more specifically to the'construction of the block, it com arises two converging members 14, 15, w ich are integrally connected at the wider front-end of the blo ck by a transverse connecting member 16 that constitutes the broad'end of the wedge-like block. The upper and lower faces .of the converging members constitute seats to receive the rear ends of the jaw members, which latter lie flat thereon, as shown in Figure 1, and may be attached to the block by a boltor rivet 19 which extend through openings 17 and 18 of the block members, and through openings in the ends ofthe jaw members.

In addition to the fastening means thus described, shoulder'means are provided at tegral parts of the side edgesof the converging members of "the block by turning the marginal portions of said members upwardly and downwardly, respectively, in the operation of forming the block; Thus there is produced on each member parallel shoulder flanges 20. The rear ends of the jaw members are made of a width to fit snugly between said shoulder flanges and thereby avoid twisting of the jaw members relatively to the block.

One of the block members, the member 14 as herein shown, is continued rearwardly from the rearedge of said member to constitute an integral terminal member 21 by which to connect ,a supply conductor to the clip. Said terminal member is part cylindrio in cross section and is joined to the rear edge of the block member 14 from which it springs by a narrow neck portion 22. This construction of the terminal member permits the conductor to be readily attached to the terminal members byplacing the conductor within the hollow terminal member and thereafter pressing or pinching the free margins downwardly on the conductor. If

desired, the neck portion 22 of. the eXten-.

sion may be provided with an aperture 24 to receive parts of the conductor strands and solder by which the conductor can be more firmly attached to the terminal member.

From what has been said, it will be observed that the block can be made with'a minimum weight of metal, while at the same time producing an arch-like structure which greatly reinforces and strengthens the block, as a whole. It will also be noted that the block is of open work construction so that air may pass freely therethrough to cool the block and to prevent the material of ,the block and the adjacent ends of the jaw members becoming unduly heated. A furtheradvantage of the construction is that the terminal member 21 can be formed on the block at the same time the strip of metal is bent and swaged to produce the block so as to thereby avoid an additional 2. A clip comprising two opposed resilient members and their jaws, of a combined block and conductor terminal made of a single piece of sheet metal, said block embracing converging members to which the jaw members are attached, and said converging members being formed at their side edges with integral jaw member limiting shoulders.

3. A clip comprising two opposed resilient members and their jaws, of a combined block and conductor terminal. made of a single piece of sheet. metal, said block embracing converging members to which the jaw members are attached, said converging members conductor.

embracing a front transverse and two rearwardly converging members, one of the converging members terminating beyond the a block in a conductor terminal member. I

5. In a clip for the purpose set forth. a block made of a single piece of sheet metal, embracing a front transverse and two rearwardly converging members, said converging members being provided with registering openings to receive attaching means to fasten jaw members of a clip on the block.

6. In a clip for the purpose set forth, a block made of a single piece of sheet metal, in the form of an open wedge, with the wide end of thewedge facing forwardly and provided at the sides-of its converging faces with integral raised flanges constituting stop shoulders.

7. In a clip for the purpose set forth, a block made of a single piece of sheet metal. in the form of an open wedge, with the wide end of the wedge facing forwardly, one of the converging members of the block terminating in an integral rearwardly extending conductor clip member.

8. In a device of the class described, a pair of spring aw members having sub- .stantially straight shanks set at an acute angle to each other and a sheet metal connecting member lying between the ends of said shanks for holding them rigidly in cooperating relation, said member having an integral lug for connection to an electrical 9. In a device of the class described. a pair of jaw members having substantially straight spring shanks setat an acute angle to each other, and an integral sheet metalconnecting member having two sides lying in contact with the sides of said shanks, a base member forming a strip between the saidsides, one of said sides being extended and formed into' a channeled lug for the reception of an electric conductor and a rivet passing through the ends of said shanks and through the sides of said connecting member to draw the same securely together.

In witness whereof I claim the foregoing as my invention, I hereunto append my signature this 9th day of May, 1921. A

HERBERT E. WALKER. 

